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United States · Official source
4,985 records where Sen. Moynihan, Daniel Patrick [D-NY] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1998
Expresses the sense of the Senate that October 11, 1998, should be designated as National Children's Day.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1998
Economic Development Administration Reform Act of 1998 - Amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (the Act) to replace titles I through VI of such Act with the provisions of this Act. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to cooperate with States and other entities to ensure that Federal economic development programs are compatible with and further the objectives of State, regional, and local economic development plans and comprehensive economic development strategies. Authorizes the Secretary to provide appropriate technical assistance to such entities in order to alleviate economic distress, encourage partnerships for economic development strategies, and promote investment in infrastructure and technological capacity to keep pace with the changing global economy. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations for intergovernmental review of proposed economic development projects. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into economic development cooperation agreements with two or more adjoining States. Defines an "eligible recipient," for purposes of this Act, as: (1) an area with a per capita income of 80 percent or less of the national average or an unemployment rate at least one percent greater than the national average or one which has experienced or is about to experience actual or threatened severe unemployment or economic adjustment problems; (2) an economic development district; (3) an Indian tribe; (4) a State; (5) a political subdivision; (6) an institution of higher education; or (7) a nonprofit organization acting in cooperation with local officials. Sets forth provisions similar to existing provisions of law authorizing grants to eligible recipients for acquisition or development of public works and development facilities. Retains a limitation that prohibits more than 15 percent of the amounts made available for such assistance from being expended in any one State. Authorizes assistance for public works and economic development to be available for a project to be carried out on a military or Department of Energy installation that is closed or scheduled for closure or realignment without requiring an eligible recipient to have title to the property or a leasehold interest for any specified term. Sets forth provisions similar to those under existing law authorizing grants for economic planning. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for related administrative expenses as well. Provides a Federal cost-share limit of 50 percent of project costs. Authorizes the Secretary to make supplementary grants for a project for which the recipient is eligible but for which the recipient cannot provide the required non-Federal share. Provides supplementary grant conditions and requirements, authorizing the Secretary to reduce or waive the required non-Federal share in certain cases. Sets forth provisions similar to those under existing law that authorize technical assistance useful in alleviating or preventing conditions of excessive unemployment or underemployment. Authorizes grants for training and research for such purposes as well. Permits the Secretary to reduce or waive the non-Federal share of a project so assisted if the project is not feasible without, and merits, such a reduction or waiver. Retains an existing provision of law regarding the prevention of unfair competition. Sets forth provisions similar to those under existing law which authorize grants for economic adjustment to alleviate long-term economic deterioration and sudden economic dislocation. Revises criteria for such assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) approve the use of grant funds for projects the scope or purpose for which has been modified after the grant has been made; and (2) use funds for projects constructed for less than the projected costs to improve such projects. Bars assistance for public works and economic development from being used for attorney's or consultants' fees incurred in connection with obtaining grants and contracts. Requires areas to have per capita incomes of 80 percent or less of the national average or unemployment rates at least one percent greater than the national average or to have experienced or be about to experience actual or threatened severe unemployment or economic adjustment problems in order to be eligible for grants for public works and economic development or economic adjustment. Requires from such applicants: (1) documentation of meeting such criteria; and (2) evidence of a comprehensive economic development strategy which identifies the economic problems to be addressed through such assistance, as well as related information. Revises conditions under which areas may be designated as economic development districts by the Secretary. Retains: (1) existing incentives for increasing grant assistance in districts where participants are actively participating in economic development activities and the project is consistent with the district's comprehensive economic development strategy; and (2) provisions authorizing assistance to parts of districts not in eligible areas. Directs the Secretary to carry out this Act through an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development who shall serve as the Administrator of the Economic Development Administration. Directs the Secretary to maintain an information clearinghouse on all matters relating to economic development and adjustment, disaster recovery, defense conversion, and trade adjustment programs and activities of Federal and State governments and to assist applicants for such assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to furnish procurement divisions of the Federal Government with a list of business firms located in distressed areas that desire Federal contracts. Requires the Secretary to conduct reviews of university centers that receive grant assistance under this Act to assess their performance and contribution toward retention and creation of employment. Provides for penalty, administrative, and recordkeeping provisions similar to those under existing law. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2003. Authorizes additional appropriations for defense conversion activities and disaster economic recovery activities. Repeals provisions of the Act regarding economic recovery for disaster areas, special economic development and adjustment assistance, and the job opportunities program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1998
National Environmental Education Amendments Act of 1998 - Amends the National Environmental Education Act to require that curricula, materials, and training programs developed with support from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Environmental Education be balanced and scientifically sound. (Sec. 2) Requires that implementation of the Act be through EPA. Eliminates requirements for a Director of the Office and a minimum number of staff. Allows activities to be carried out through grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts. (Sec. 3) Reduces from 25 percent to 15 percent the percentage of funds to be obligated for environmental education grants of not more than $5,000. Prohibits the use of grants for certain lobbying activities. Requires the EPA Science Advisory Board to review and approve any guidance by the EPA Administrator before it is issued to applicants for such grants. (Sec. 4) Repeals the authority for environmental internships and fellowships. (Sec. 5) Eliminates all environmental education awards provided for under such Act, except the President's Environmental Youth Awards. (Sec. 6) Revises requirements for membership on the National Environmental Education Advisory Council. Requires that membership on the Federal Task Force on Environmental Education be open to representatives of any Federal agency actively engaged in environmental education. (Under current law, membership must include specified agency representatives.) Repeals specific requirements for contents of Advisory Council reports. (Sec. 7) Changes the name of the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation to the National Environmental Learning Foundation. Increases the size of the Foundation's Board of the Directors. Repeals the prohibition on the transmission of logos or other means of identification on materials donated to the Foundation for environmental education and training use. Allows acknowledgement of donors, but prohibits such acknowledgement from: (1) appearing in educational material to be presented to students; and (2) identifying a donor by means of a logo, letterhead, or other corporate commercial symbol, slogan, or product. (Sec. 8) Extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations to the EPA for such Act. Revises funding limitations. Limits to 25 percent the amount available for administrative costs. Directs the EPA Administrator to report on expenses annually to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1998
Declares that the Congress honors the memory of Detective John Michael Gibson and Private First Class Jacob Joseph Chestnut of the U.S. Capitol Police for the selfless acts of heroism they displayed on July 24, 1998, in sacrificing their lives in the line of duty so that others might live. Provides that, when the Senate and the House of Representatives adjourn on this date, they shall do so out of respect for the memory of Officers Gibson and Chestnut.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1998
Authorizes the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a memorial service for Detective John Michael Gibson and Private First Class Jacob Joseph Chestnut of the U.S. Capitol Police. Directs the Architect of the Capitol to place a plaque in honor of the memory of Officers Gibson and Chestnut at an appropriate site in the U.S. Capitol, with the approval of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. Directs the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives to make arrangements for funeral services for Officers Gibson and Chestnut, including payments for travel expenses of immediate family members, and for expenses incurred by Members of the House of Representatives in attending such services. Directs the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives to pay survivor's gratuities to the widows of Officers Gibson and Chestnut. Expresses the sense of the Congress that there should be established under law a U.S. Capitol Police Memorial Fund for the surviving spouses and children of members of the U.S. Capitol Police who are slain in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1998
Authorizes the printing of the eulogies of the Senate and the House of Representatives for Detective John Michael Gibson and Private First Class Jacob Joseph Chestnut.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1998
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should issue a proclamation declaring the week that begins on the Sunday before Presidents' Day of each year, as United States Presidential History Week. Redesignates the legal public holiday of Washington's Birthday as Presidents' Day in honor of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt and in recognition of the importance of the institution of the Presidency and the contributions that Presidents have made to our nation's development and the principles of freedom and democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to: (1) provide a duty, through December 31, 2004, on fabrics, of carded or combed wool or fine animal hair, all the foregoing certified by the importer as "Super 70's" or "Super 80's" intended for use in making suits, suit-type jackets or trousers; and (2) grant duty-free treatment, through December 31, 2004, to fabrics, of carded or combed wool or fine animal hair, all the foregoing certified by the importer as "Super 90's" or higher grade intended for use in making suits, suit-type jackets or trousers. Treats (for tariff purposes) such suits similarly to certain other suits under the Schedule.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1998
Designates the United States Post Office located at 297 Larkfield Road in East Northport, New York, as the Jerome Anthony Ambro, Jr. Post Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1998
Women's Progress Commemoration Act - Establishes the Women's Progress Commemoration Commission to, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior and other appropriate Federal, State, and local public and private entities, prepare and submit to the Secretary a report that: (1) identifies sites of historical significance to the women's movement; and (2) recommends actions, under the National Historic Preservation Act and other law, to rehabilitate and preserve the sites and provide to the public interpretive and educational materials and activities at the sites. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary, after receipt of the Commission's report, to report to the Congress on the actions that have been taken to preserve the sites identified in the Commission's report as being of historical significance.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Assistance for Sub-Saharan Africa Title II: Worldwide Food Assistance and Agricultural Programs Subtitle A: Nonemergency Food Assistance Programs Subtitle B: Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act of 1998 Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions Africa: Seeds of Hope Act of 1998 - Declares it to be U.S. policy, consistent with title XII of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act, to support governments of sub-Saharan African countries, U.S. and African nongovernmental organizations, universities, businesses, and international agencies to help ensure the availability of basic nutrition and economic opportunities for sub-Saharan individuals, through sustainable agricultural and rural development. Title I: Assistance for Sub-Saharan Africa - Directs the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID), in providing development assistance under the Africa Food Security Initiative, or any comparable or successor program, to: (1) emphasize programs and projects that improve the food security of children, women, and food-insecure households, or that improve the agricultural productivity, incomes, and marketing of the rural poor in Africa; (2) solicit and take into consideration the views and needs of intended beneficiaries and program participants during the selection, planning, implementation, and evaluation phases of projects; and (3) ensure that programs are designed and conducted in cooperation with African and U.S. organizations and institutions (such as private and voluntary organizations, cooperatives, land-grant and other appropriate universities, and local producer-owned cooperative marketing and buying associations) that have expertise in addressing the needs of the poor, small-scale farmers, entrepreneurs, and rural workers, including women. (Sec. 101) Expresses the sense of the Congress that, if there is an increase in funding for sub-Saharan programs, the Administrator of AID should proportionately increase resources to the Africa Food Security Initiative, or any comparable or successor program, for FY 2000 and subsequent fiscal years in order to meet the needs of the countries participating in such Initiative. (Sec. 102) Directs the Administrator of AID to use, through bilateral and multilateral assistance, microenterprise assistance (including credit) to improve the capacity and efficiency of agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa of small-scale farmers and small rural entrepreneurs (specifically taking into consideration the needs of women, and using the applied research and technical assistance capabilities of U.S. land-grant universities). (Sec. 103) Authorizes the Administrator of AID to utilize foreign assistance programs and initiatives for sub-Saharan Africa to support private producer-owned cooperative marketing associations there, including rural business associations owned by farmer shareholders. (Sec. 104) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) should issue loans, guaranties, and insurance, and utilize existing equity funds and loan and insurance funds, to support private agricultural and rural development in sub-Saharan Africa (particularly intermediary organizations that directly serve the needs of small-scale farmers, small rural entrepreneurs, and rural producer-owned cooperative purchasing and marketing associations). (Sec. 105) Directs the Administrator of AID to develop a comprehensive plan to coordinate and build on the research and extension activities of U.S. land-grant universities, international agricultural research centers, and national agricultural research and extension centers in sub-Saharan Africa. Title II: Worldwide Food Assistance and Agricultural Programs - Subtitle A: Non-Emergency Food Assistance Programs - Sets forth general requirements for the administration of non-emergency assistance programs under title II of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954. Subtitle B: Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act of 1998 - Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act of 1998 - Amends the Food Security Commodity Reserve Act of 1996 and the Food Security Wheat Reserve Act of 1980 to rename specified provisions of the Food for Development Program as the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act. (Sec. 212) Includes, as part of the established trust stock of wheat, rice, corn, or sorghum used to meet emergency humanitarian food needs in developing countries, certain funds for Commodity Credit Corporation programs under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 that are available to acquire such eligible commodities through purchases from producers or in the market to replenish the trust. Authorizes the release of eligible commodities from the trust for emergency food assistance to developing countries, provided such release is at levels consistent with maintaining the long-term value of the trust. Makes permanent the authority for the trust. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Directs the Administrator of AID to report to the Congress on AID's plans for implementing the Africa Food Security Initiative and an estimate of all amounts expended or to be expended on related activities during the current and previous four years.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 1998
Advancement in Pediatric Autism Research Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of NIH with respect to autism. Requires the Director, among other things to: (1) ensure that at NIH there is a committee to coordinate research on autism; and (2) make awards and grants to public or nonprofit entities for centers of excellence regarding research on autism. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1998
Commends the Library of Congress on 200 years of service to the Congress and the Nation, and encourages the American public to participate in activities to commemorate the Library's bicentennial.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1998
Federal Research Investment Act - Calls for Federal funding levels for fundamental, scientific, and pre-competitive engineering research to be increased to equal approximately 2.6 percent of the total annual Federal budget. Authorizes appropriations for civilian research and development (R&D) within specified agencies for FY 1999 through 2010. Directs the President to include with the annual budget request a report concerning Federal R&D program funding, future R&D strategies and targets, and an analysis of funding levels across Federal agencies by funding methodology. Requires the Director of the Office of Science Technology Policy (OSTP) to enter in an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a comprehensive study to develop methods for evaluating federally-funded R&D programs. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), based on study results, to promulgate one or more alternative forms for Federal R&D performance goals. Permits an agency head to apply such an alternative form without further authorization by OMB. Requires agency heads carrying out R&D activities, upon updating a strategic plan, to describe the current and future use of methods for determining an acceptable level of R&D success as recommended by the study. Authorizes appropriations for the study. Requires: (1) the OMB Director, based upon program performance reports, to identify the civilian R&D program activities or components which do not meet an acceptable level of success; (2) an agency head to submit to the appropriate congressional committees a concise statement of the steps needed to terminate a program activity or component identified as being below the acceptable level of success for two consecutive fiscal years; (3) such a program to be terminated unless the Directors of OSTP and OMB and the agency head determine that it should be continued; and (4) the statement of termination to recommend disposition of unexpended and unobligated funds from terminated programs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1998
Commends the Library of Congress on 200 years of service to the Congress and the Nation, and encourages the American public to participate in activities to commemorate the Library's bicentennial.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1998
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should: (1) publicly declare that it considers there to be probable cause to believe that Slobodan Milosevic, President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, has committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide; (2) make collection of information that can be supplied to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for use as evidence to support his indictment and trial a high priority; (3) provide a fair share of any additional financial or personnel resources that may be required by the Tribunal for the adjudication of Milosevic and others arising from the conflict in the former Yugoslavia; (4) engage in a discussion with other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and interested states of information any such state may hold regarding such matters and of measures to be taken to apprehend persons indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity; (5) urge the Tribunal to promptly review all information relating to Milosevic's possible criminal culpability, with a view toward prompt issuance of a public indictment; (6) upon issuance of such indictment, adopt a policy of having no dealings with Milosevic other than as a defendant before the Tribunal; and (7) support Milosevic's immediate apprehension.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1998
Social Security KidSave Accounts Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to create a new part B (KidSave Accounts). Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to establish in the name of each individual born on or after January 1, 1997, an individual retirement account known as a KidSave Account. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer from the Federal OASDI Trust Fund to the Commissioner for crediting to each account holder's KidSave Account: (1) $1,000, on the date such individual's KidSave Account is established, in the case of any individual born on or after January 1, 1999; plus (2) in the case of any individual born on or after January 1, 1997, $500 on each of the individual's first five birthdays occurring on or after January 1, 2002. Establishes in the Treasury the KidSave Investment Fund in the same manner as the Thrift Savings Fund under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Establishes the KidSave Investment Fund Board in the Social Security Administration in the same manner as the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board under the FERS Thrift Savings Program. Requires the KidSave Investment Fund to be managed in the same manner as the FERS Thrift Savings Fund. Makes appropriations to the Federal OASDI Trust Fund of any sums necessary to carry out the KidSave Accounts program.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1998
Superfund Recycling Equity Act of 1998 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to absolve persons (other than owners or operators) who arranged for the recycling of recyclable material from liability for environmental response actions. Deems transactions involving scrap paper, plastic, glass, textiles, or rubber (other than whole tires) to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that the following criteria were met: (1) the recyclable material met a commercial specification grade and a market existed for the material; (2) a substantial portion of the material was made available for use as a feedstock for the manufacture of a new saleable product; (3) the material (or product to be made from the material) could have been a replacement for a virgin raw material; and (4) with respect to transactions occurring 90 days after this Act's enactment, the person exercised reasonable care to determine that the facility where the material would be managed by another was in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations. Deems transactions involving scrap metal to be arranging for recycling if the person who arranged the transaction demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; (2) he or she complied with applicable standards regarding activities associated with the recycling of scrap metals; and (3) the scrap metal was not melted prior to the transaction. Deems transactions involving spent lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, or other batteries to be arranging for recycling if the person involved demonstrates that: (1) the criteria for scrap materials were met; and (2) he or she complied with applicable Federal environmental regulations or standards regarding such batteries. Makes the exemptions from liability under this Act inapplicable if the person: (1) had an objectively reasonable basis to believe at the time of the recycling transaction that the recyclable material would not be recycled or would be burned as fuel or for energy recovery or incineration or that the consuming facility was not in compliance with Federal, State, or local environmental laws or regulations; (2) had reason to believe that hazardous substances had been added to the material for purposes other than processing for recycling; or (3) failed to exercise reasonable care with respect to the management of the material. Makes such exemptions inapplicable if the recyclable material contained polychlorinated biphenyls in excess of 50 parts per million or any new Federal standard or if such material is an item of scrap paper containing, at the time of recycling, a concentration of a hazardous substance determined to present a significant human health or environmental risk.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1998
Microcredit for Self-Sufficiency Act of 1998 - Authorizes the President to establish programs to provide through U.S. private voluntary organizations (PVOs) and other U.S. and indigenous nongovernmental organizations and credit institutions credit and other assistance for microenterprises in developing countries. Sets forth assistance eligibility criteria. Authorizes funding allocations. Directs the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID), in order to sustain the impact of such assistance, to establish a monitoring system that sets certain performance goals and provides a basis for recommendations for adjustments to enhance its benefit for the very poor, particularly women.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1998
Expresses grave concern regarding the findings of the December 1997 International Commission of Jurists report on Tibet concerning religious and cultural repression in Tibet. Supports report recommendations that call on: (1) the People's Republic of China to enter into discussions with the Dalai Lama on a solution to the question of Tibet, to ensure respect for the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people, to end practices which threaten to erode the distinct cultural, religious, and national identity of the Tibetan people, and to cease policies which result in the movement of Chinese people to Tibetan territory; (2) the United Nations General Assembly to resume its debate on the question of Tibet and to hold a referendum in Tibet; and (3) the Dalai Lama to enter into discussions with the Chinese Government on a solution to the question of Tibet. Commends the appointment by the Secretary of State of a U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. Calls on: (1) the People's Republic of China to release from detention the nine-year old Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, to his home in Tibet from which he was taken on May 17,1995, and to allow him to pursue his religious studies; and (2) the President, as a central objective of the 1998 presidential summit meeting with Jiang Zemin in Beijing, to secure an agreement to begin substantive negotiations between the People's Republic of China and the Dalai Lama.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1998
Amends provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) concerning liquidation of corporate subsidiaries to provide that if a corporation receives a distribution from a regulated investment company or a real estate investment trust which is considered as being in complete liquidation of such company or trust, then, notwithstanding other specified IRC provisions, such corporation shall recognize and treat as a dividend from such company or trust an amount equal to the deduction for dividends paid allowable to such company or trust by reason of such distribution.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1998
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) encourage the new political leadership in Indonesia to institute genuine democratic and economic reforms, including the establishment of an independent judiciary, civilian control of the military, and the release of political prisoners; (2) encourage the new political leadership in Indonesia to promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all the people of Indonesia and East Timor; and (3) work actively, through the United Nations and with U.S. allies, to carry out the directives of existing U.N. resolutions on East Timor and to support an internationally supervised referendum on self-determination.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Strengthening Law Enforcement to Reduce Violence Against Women Title II: Strengthening Services to Victims of Violence Title III: Limiting the Effects of Violence on Children Title IV: Strengthening Education and Training to Combat Violence Against Women Title V: Extension of Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund Violence Against Women Act II - Title I: Strengthening Law Enforcement to Reduce Violence Against Women - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to make grants to eligible States, Indian tribal governments, or local governmental units to provide technical assistance and computer and other equipment to police departments, prosecutors, and courts to facilitate the widespread, including interstate, enforcement of protection orders. Instructs the Attorney General to give priority to grant applicants that: (1) have established cooperative agreements with neighboring jurisdictions to facilitate the enforcement of protection orders from other jurisdictions; and (2) will use the grant to develop and install data collection and communication systems linking police, prosecutors, and the courts in order to identify and track protection orders and violations of such orders. (Sec. 101) Directs the Attorney General to compile and disseminate information about successful data collection and communication systems. Amends Federal criminal code provisions governing full faith and credit given to protection orders to provide that such provisions shall not be construed to: (1) require prior filing or registration of such orders in the enforcing State as a prerequisite to enforcement by such State; or (2) permit a State to notify the party against whom the order has been made that a protection order has been registered or filed in that State. Includes custody and visitation provisions in protection orders within the purview of Federal criminal law governing domestic violence and stalking. (Sec. 102) Amends such Act to designate State, local, and Indian tribal courts as eligible grantees in the program to combat violent crimes against women. Revises allocation percentages for police and prosecutors, victim services, and State and local courts (not less than 25 percent, 30 percent, and ten percent, respectively). Amends the Equal Justice for Women in the Courts Act to expand training that may be provided under domestic violence training grants to include training with respect to issues concerning individuals with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations from the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund for FY 1999 through 2002. Includes State, local, and tribal courts among the grantees eligible for Federal grants to encourage arrest policies. Earmarks a minimum of five percent of the total amount available for grants each fiscal year for grants to Indian tribal governments. (Sec. 103) Reauthorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2002 for grants to combat violent crimes against women. Directs the Attorney General to make grants to State domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions for coordinating State victim services activities and for coordinating with Federal, State and local entities engaged in violence against women activities. (Sec. 104) Instructs the Attorney General to transfer flunitrazepam (the "date-rape" drug) from schedule IV of the Controlled Substances Act to schedule I (the strictest level of Federal drug penalty and control). (Sec. 105) Reauthorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2002 for grants to encourage arrest policies. (Sec. 106) Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to institutions of higher education for use by campus personnel and student organizations and nonprofit nongovernmental victim services programs to assist campus administrators and campus security personnel to develop and strengthen: (1) effective security and investigation strategies to combat violent crimes against women on campuses; and (2) services to victims of such crimes. Sets forth provisions regarding application requirements and certifications, grant disbursement, the Federal cost share, nonmonetary assistance, and regulations. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2002. (Sec. 107) Amends the Federal criminal code to provide that any person who, while employed by or accompanying the armed forces outside of the United States, engages in conduct that would constitute a domestic violence or sexual assault offense if the conduct had been engaged in within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, shall be subject to prosecution in a U.S. district court. Sets forth provisions regarding concurrent jurisdiction and priority of exercise of jurisdiction. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to designate and authorize any individual serving in a law enforcement position in the Department of Defense to arrest such a person outside of the United States if there is probable cause to believe that such person committed such an offense. Provides for the release of such arrested persons to civilian law enforcement authorities in specified circumstances. Provides for delivery of such persons to the appropriate authorities of a foreign country if: (1) delivery is requested for trial for such conduct as an offense under the laws of that country; and (2) delivery is authorized by a treaty or other international agreement to which the United States is a party. Requires the Secretary of the military department concerned to transmit to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation a copy of records of any penal actions taken, including certain nonjudicial punishments imposed, against a member of the armed forces who is discharged, dismissed, or released from active duty. (Sec. 108) Prohibits and sets penalties for willfully causing bodily injury to any person or attempting, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive device, to cause bodily injury to any person, whether or not acting under color of law, because of: (1) the actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin of any person; or (2) the actual or perceived religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of any person if, in connection with the offense, the defendant or the victim travels in interstate or foreign commerce, uses a facility or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce, or engages in any activity affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or the offense is in or affects such commerce. Authorizes appropriations to the Departments of the Treasury and of Justice for FY 1998 through 2000 to increase the number of personnel to prevent and respond to such alleged violations. Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to study and, if appropriate, amend the Federal sentencing guidelines to provide sentencing enhancements for adult defendants who recruit juveniles to assist in the commission of hate crimes. Directs the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the Department of Justice to make grants to State and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 109) Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to reauthorize for FY 1999 through 2002: (1) rural domestic violence and child abuse enforcement grants (and allots not less than five percent of the total made available for each fiscal year for grants to Indian tribal governments); and (2) national stalker and domestic violence reduction grants. (Sec. 111) Modifies Federal criminal code provisions regarding interstate domestic violence, interstate stalking, and interstate violation of a protective order to cover situations where persons travel in interstate or foreign commerce or to or from Indian country. Title II: Strengthening Services to Victims of Violence - Directs the Attorney General to make grants to public and private nonprofit entities: (1) to establish and expand cooperative efforts and projects between domestic violence victim advocacy organizations and civil legal assistance providers to strengthen civil legal assistance for victims of domestic violence; and (2) to establish and expand efforts and projects to strengthen such assistance by organizations with a demonstrated history of responsive direct legal or advocacy services on behalf of such victims. (Sec. 201) Requires the Attorney General, through contracts, grants, or other arrangements, to establish and operate a network of attorneys and lay advocates to provide legal assistance and other guidance to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 202) Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act with respect to State demonstration grants for programs and projects to prevent family violence and provide immediate shelter and related assistance to victims. Requires grant applicants to provide documentation, including memoranda of understanding, of the specific involvement of the State domestic violence coalition and other knowledgeable individuals and interested organizations, in the development of the application. Earmarks funds to provide emergency assistance directly to victims of family violence, or their dependents, who are in the process of fleeing an abusive situation. Changes from a formula amount to $500,000 the minimum allotment to each State for such grants. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to Indian tribes and organizations from any sums not distributed to them. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to private nonprofit organizations for information, training, and technical assistance initiatives in specified subject areas. Authorizes appropriations under such Act through 2002. Revises the formula for the allocation of appropriations for grants for State coalitions. Directs the Secretary to conduct a nationwide needs assessment relating to family violence prevention and services programs. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to up to ten State domestic violence coalitions, and up to ten local entities that carry out domestic violence programs providing shelter or related assistance, to develop and implement model community intervention strategies to address family violence in underserved populations. Prescribes formulae for the redistribution of funds available due to certain limitations. (Sec. 203) Prohibits any insurer from, directly or indirectly, taking any adverse action against: (1) an innocent insured; or (2) an applicant or insured on the basis that the applicant or insured, or any person employed by the applicant or insured or with whom the applicant or insured is known to have a relationship or association is, has been, or may be the subject of abuse. Defines an innocent insured as a subject of abuse insured under the same policy as the abuser, but who is not (in light of all the facts and circumstances) the cause of any claim incurred or that may incur. Requires any insurer taking an adverse action against a known subject of abuse to advise the applicant or insured in writing of the specific reasons for the action. Empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce such prohibitions and policy. Provides for a private action against an insurer by an applicant or insured affected by a violation of this Act. (Sec. 204) Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to extend through FY 2002 the authorization of appropriations for the national domestic violence hotline. (Sec. 205) Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to extend through FY 2002 and increase the authorization of appropriations for Federal victims' counselors. (Sec. 206) Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to entitles employees to leave: (1) to address domestic violence and its effects; or (2) to care for a child or parent of the employee who is addressing domestic violence and its effects. Authorizes an employer to require an employee to provide documentation or other corroborating evidence. Amends Federal civil service law to entitle Federal employees to take such leave, subject to the same requirements. (Sec. 207) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize unemployment compensation where an individual is separated from employment due to circumstances directly resulting from the individual's experience of domestic violence. Amends the Social Security Act to require State laws to provide for methods of administration that will ensure that claims reviewers and hearing personnel are adequately trained in the nature and dynamics of claims for unemployment compensation based on domestic violence, including methods of ascertaining and keeping information confidential. (Sec. 208) Amends the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998, the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 with respect to aliens who have been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty to provide for: (1) legal assistance; and (2) waiver of certain immigration requirements. (Sec. 209) Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to add a new Subtitle H (Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation, Including Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Against Older Individuals). Directs the Attorney General to: (1) make grants to law school clinical programs for the purposes of funding the inclusion of cases addressing issues of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including domestic violence, and sexual assault, against older individuals; and (2) develop curricula and offer, or provide for the offering of, training programs to assist law enforcement officers and prosecutors in recognizing, addressing, investigating, and prosecuting instances of such abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act and the Older Americans Act of 1965 with respect to programs addressing such issues, including related training for health professionals. Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for programs and activities for the prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Requires the Secretary to make grants to: (1) support projects in local communities to coordinate activities concerning intervention in and prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including domestic violence, and sexual assault, against older individuals; and (2) develop and implement outreach programs directed toward assisting older individuals who are victims of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including those in senior housing complexes and senior centers. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to give preference in the award of certain grants and contracts to any health professions educational entity that requires, as a condition of receiving a degree or certificate, that each student have had significant training in the identification and referral of victims of elder abuse and neglect. Title III: Limiting the Effects of Violence on Children - Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States and Indian tribal governments to enable them to enter into contracts and cooperative agreements to assist public or private nonprofit entities in establishing and operating supervised visitation centers for purposes of facilitating supervised visitation and visitation exchange of children by and between parents. Requires that priority be given to States that consider domestic violence in making a custody decision and require findings on the record. (Sec. 302) Directs the Attorney General to study and report to Congress on Federal and State laws relating to child custody, including the Parental Kidnaping Prevention Act of 1980, and their effect on child custody cases in which domestic violence is a factor. Requires such study to examine the sufficiency of defenses to parental abduction charges available in cases involving domestic violence, and the burdens and risks encountered by victims of domestic violence arising from compliance with the full faith and credit (and judicial jurisdiction) requirements of that Act. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 303) Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to authorize appropriations for grants through FY 2002. Directs the Secretary to compile annually and disseminate, especially to community-based programs (including domestic violence and sexual assault programs), specified information about the use of amounts expended and the projects funded under such Act. (Sec. 304) Amends the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to authorize appropriations through FY 2002 for: (1) the court-appointed special advocate program; (2) child abuse training programs for judicial personnel and practitioners; and (3) grants for televised testimony. Directs the Attorney General to compile annually and disseminate, especially to community-based programs (including domestic violence and sexual assault programs), specified information about the use of amounts expended and the projects funded under such Act. Title IV: Strengthening Education and Training to Combat Violence Against Women - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in awarding grants or contracts for health professions and nurse education, to give preference to a relevant health professions entity that requires, as a condition of receiving a degree or certificate, that a student has had significant training in the identification, examination, treatment, and referral of victims of domestic violence. (Sec. 401) Defines relevant health professions entity as a school of medicine, a school of osteopathic medicine, a graduate program in mental health practice, a school of nursing, a program for the training of physician assistants, or a program for the training of allied health professionals. (Sec. 402) Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants for the development and dissemination of model programs to provide education and training in appropriate and effective responses to victims of domestic violence and victims of sexual assault (including, as appropriate, the effects of domestic violence on children) to individuals (other than law enforcement officers and prosecutors) who are likely to come into contact with such victims during the course of their employment. Limits such grants to public and private nonprofit entities that have: (1) nationally recognized expertise in the areas of domestic violence and sexual assault; and (2) a record of commitment and quality responses to reduce domestic violence and sexual assault. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 403) Requires States to use certain transferred funds for rape prevention and education programs conducted by rape crisis centers, State sexual assault coalitions, and other public and private nonprofit entities for: (1) educational seminars; (2) hotlines; (3) training programs for professionals; (4) the preparation of informational material; (5) education and training programs for students and campus personnel designed to reduce the incidence of sexual assault at colleges and universities; and (6) other efforts to increase awareness of, or to help prevent, sexual assault, including efforts to increase awareness in underserved communities and awareness among individuals with disabilities. Requires at least 25 percent of grant funds are used for educational programs targeted for middle school, junior high, and high school students. Directs the Secretary, through the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to establish a National Resource Center on Sexual Assault (with a central resource library) to provide resource information, policy, training, and technical assistance to Federal, State, and Indian tribal agencies, as well as to State sexual assault coalitions and local sexual assault programs and to other professionals and interested parties on issues relating to sexual assault. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 404) Directs the Secretary to provide grants to individuals or organizations to carry out educational programs for elementary schools, middle schools, secondary schools, or institutions of higher education with respect to information regarding, and prevention of, domestic violence and violence among intimate partners. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 405) Directs the Attorney General to make grants to States and nongovernmental private entities to provide education and technical assistance for the purpose of providing training, consultation, and information on violence, abuse, and sexual assault against women who are individuals with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 406) Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to make groups that provide services to or advocate on behalf of individuals with disabilities eligible for demonstration grants for community initiatives. Authorizes appropriations for such grants. (Sec. 407) Directs the Attorney General to establish a multidisciplinary, multiagency national commission to: (1) evaluate standards of training and practice for licensed health care professionals performing sexual assault forensic examinations, and develop a national recommended training standard; (2) recommend minimum sexual assault forensic examination training for all health care students; (3) review national, State, and local protocols on sexual assault for forensic examinations, and develop a recommended national protocol and a mechanism for nationwide dissemination; and (4) study and evaluate State procedures for payment of forensic examinations for victims of sexual assault, and establish a recommended Federal protocol for such payment. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 408) Authorizes the Attorney General to make a grant to a private, nonprofit entity meeting certain requirements to establish a national clearinghouse and resource center to provide information and assistance to employers and labor organizations on appropriate workplace responses to domestic violence and sexual assault. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 409) Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to direct the Secretary to make grants to entities, including domestic violence and sexual assault organizations, research organizations, and academic institutions, to: (1) support specified research and evaluation of education, prevention, and intervention programs on violent behavior against women; and (2) address gaps in research and knowledge about violence against women, including violence against women in underserved communities. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to report to Congress on: (1) Federal and State sentences for homicides or assaults in which the victim was a spouse, former spouse, or intimate partner of the offender; (2) the effect of illicit drugs and alcohol on domestic violence and the sentences imposed for offenses involving them in which domestic violence occurred; (3) the extent to which acts of domestic violence committed against the offender, including coercion, may have contributed to the commission of an offense; (4) an analysis delineated by race, gender, type of offense, and any other categories that would be useful for understanding the problem of domestic violence; and (5) recommendations with respect to all such offenses, including any basis for a downward adjustment in any applicable Federal sentencing guidelines determination. Directs the Secretary to make grants to nonprofit entities, including sexual assault organizations, research organizations, and academic institutions, in order to gather qualitative and quantitative data on the experiences of minors and adults who become pregnant as a result of sexual assault within State health care, judicial, and social services systems. Requires the Attorney General to study and report to the Congress on the status of the law with respect to rape and sexual assault offenses and the effectiveness of the implementation of laws in addressing such crimes and protecting their victims. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Extension of Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund - Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to authorize appropriations to the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund through FY 2002. (Sec. 501) Reduces discretionary spending limits for FY 2001 and 2002 in the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) by specified offsetting amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1998
Campus Crime Disclosure Act of 1998 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to the categories of crimes on which higher education institutions are required to report under the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990. Adds reporting requirements for the offenses of manslaughter, larceny, arson, and for arrests or persons referred for campus disciplinary action for liquor law violations, drug-related violations, and weapons violations. (Sec. 4) Requires that an institution's campus crime reports be readily available to its students and employees through various media, such as resident advisors, electronic mail, school newspapers, and announcement postings throughout the campus. (Sec. 5) Revises the definition of campus, for purposes of such campus crime disclosures, to include: (1) any building or property owned and controlled by the institution, or by a student organization recognized by the institution, within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of the institution; (2) all public property within such area that provides immediate access to the facilities of the institution; (3) any building or property owned, controlled, or used by the institution for educational purposes, and is used by students, even if is not within the contiguous area; and (4) all dormitories or other student residential facilities owned or controlled by the institution. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) report to the Congress each institution not in compliance with campus crime reporting requirements; and (2) provide data on successful campus security measures as well as technical assistance to institutions having difficulty with or not in compliance with such reporting requirements. Requires institutions to distinguish in their reports crimes committed: (1) on public property within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of the institution; and (2) in student residential facilities or other facilities affiliated with the institution. (Sec. 7) Establishes civil penalties for institutions for certain violations of, failures to comply with, or misrepresentations with respect to such campus crime reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1998
Condemns: (1) the continued human rights violations by all parties and factions in Afghanistan; (2) targeted discrimination against women and girls; and (3) the use of rape or other forms of systematic gender discrimination by any party or faction in Afghanistan as an instrument of war. Calls on all Afghan parties to: (1) respect international norms and standards of human rights; (2) end gender-based discrimination and deprivation of women's human rights; and (3) ensure the effective participation of women in civil, political, and social life throughout the country, the right of women and girls to an education without discrimination, respect for the right of women to physical security, that those responsible for physical attacks on women are brought to justice, respect for freedom of movement of women, and effective access for women to health care and equal access to health facilities. Supports the work of nongovernmental organizations advocating respect for human rights in Afghanistan and an improvement in the status of women and their access to humanitarian and development assistance and programs. Calls on the international community to provide adequate humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and Afghan refugees in neighboring countries pending their voluntary repatriation. Requests all Afghan parties to lift the restrictions imposed on international aid and to cease any action which may prevent or impede the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Welcomes the appointment of Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi as special envoy of the United Nations Secretary General for Afghanistan. Encourages U.N. efforts to produce a durable peace in Afghanistan consistent with the goal of a broad-based national government respectful of human rights. Calls on all warring parties and factions to participate with Ambassador Brahimi in an intra-Afghan dialogue regarding the peace process. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President and the Secretary of State should: (1) work with the U.N. High Commissioner of Refugees to guarantee the safety of, and provide development assistance for, Afghan women's groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan, to increase support for refugee programs in Pakistan providing assistance to Afghan women and children, and to explore options for the resettlement in western countries of Afghan women who fear for their safety or their families' safety; (2) establish an Afghanistan Women's Initiative based on the Bosnian Women's Initiative and the Rwandan Women's Initiative; (3) make a policy determination that recognition of any government in Afghanistan by the U.S. depends on the human rights policies toward women, that the U.S. should not recognize any government which systematically maltreats women, and that any nonemergency economic or development assistance will be based on respect for human rights; (4) call for the creation of a commission to establish an international record of the criminal culpability of any individual or party in Afghanistan employing rape or other crime against humanity considered a grave breach of the Geneva Convention as an instrument of war; and (5) call for the creation by the UN of an ad hoc international criminal tribunal for the purposes of indicting, prosecuting, and imprisoning any individual responsible for crimes against humanity in Afghanistan. Requires submission of a report by the Secretary to the Congress regarding actions that have been taken to implement this resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1998
Prohibits the Secretaries of the Navy and of Transportation from selling or otherwise disposing of any naval vessel or Maritime Administration vessel, respectively, for purposes of dismantling, breaking up, or scrapping such vessels outside the United States, unless: (1) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency certifies to the Congress and the Secretaries that environmental standards imposed by law and enforced in the country in which the vessel is to be dismantled, broken up, or scrapped are similar to the environmental standards imposed under U.S. law; and (2) the Secretary of Labor certifies to the Congress and such Secretaries that such country recognizes internationally recognized worker rights. Directs the Secretary of the Navy, after assessing the feasibility and advisability of breaking up naval vessels and Maritime Administration vessels in U.S. shipyards, to carry out a demonstration program by competitively awarding a cost contract to each of two qualified U.S. shipyards to break up a group of vessels consisting of any stricken from the Naval Vessel Register and any under the jurisdiction of the Maritime Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1998
Children's Hospitals Education and Research Act of 1998 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payment as specified to each children's hospital for each hospital cost reporting period between FY 1998 and 2003 for the direct and indirect expenses associated with operating approved medical residency training programs. States that such payments are in lieu of certain Medicare payments to hospitals for inpatient hospital services, but shall not affect the amounts otherwise payable to such hospitals under a State Medicaid plan. Makes appropriations for such payments for such fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1998
Declares that the Congress: (1) condemns anti-Muslim intolerance and discrimination; (2) while respecting and upholding free speech, acknowledges that individuals and organizations fostering intolerance create an atmosphere of hatred and fear; (3) resolves to uphold a level of political discourse that does not involve scapegoating an entire religion or drawing political conclusions from religious doctrine; and (4) recognizes the contributions of American Muslims.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1998
New Drugs of the 1990's Control Act - Amends Controlled Substances Act provisions regarding the temporary scheduling of a substance in schedule I to avoid an imminent public safety hazard. Authorizes the Attorney General, upon determining that the scheduling or rescheduling of a substance on a temporary basis is necessary to avoid such imminent hazard, to schedule the substance (by order and without regard to specified requirements relating to the Secretary of Health and Human Services) in schedule I if no exemption or approval is in effect for the substance, or in schedule II if the substance is not listed in schedule I. Authorizes the Attorney General to extend the temporary scheduling or rescheduling of a substance until a final order becomes effective. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) transfer flunitrazepam from schedule IV to schedule I; and (2) add ketamine hydrochloride to schedule III.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1998
Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act of 1998 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to give States the option of making medical assistance for breast and cervical cancer-related treatment services available to certain low-income women without creditable coverage during a presumptive eligibility period. Provides for an enhanced match with regard to such treatment services.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1998
Designates April 30, 1998, as National Erase the Hate and Eliminate Racism Day.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1998
Recognizes the historic significance of the 50th anniversary of the reestablishment of the State of Israel. Commends the Israeli people for their achievements in building a new state and a pluralistic democratic society in the Middle East. Reaffirms the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel. Extends congratulations and best wishes to the State of Israel and her people for a peaceful, prosperous, and successful future.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1998
Expresses congratulations and gratitude to the participants in, and supporters of, the negotiations resulting in the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement, particularly British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern, President Clinton, and Senator George Mitchell.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1998
Commends the Grand Forks Herald and congratulates the newspaper on receiving the Pulitzer Prize.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1998
Expresses the condolences of the Senate on the death of the Honorable Terry Sanford, a former Senator from North Carolina.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1998
Managed Care Fair Payment Act of 1998 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, with respect to the formula for the annual area-specific Medicare+Choice capitation rate. Revises such formula for years beginning with 1999 to exclude from the adjusted average per capita rate of Federal payment for 1997 any payments attributable to disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments. Requires the Secretary, for any such 1997 payment rate that reflects payments covered under a State hospital reimbursement system, to estimate a payment adjustment comparable to the adjustment that would have been made if the hospitals had not been reimbursed under such system. Directs the Secretary, for portions of cost reporting periods occurring on or after January 1, 1999, to provide for an additional payment for each DSH discharge of any managed care enrollee: (1) enrolled under a risk-sharing contract with an eligible organization who is also entitled to Medicare part A benefits; or (2) enrolled with a Medicare+Choice organization. (Thus requires that DSH payments be made directly to a DSH in which a managed care enrollee actually receives care, and not to the enrollee's Medicare+Choice organization for subsequent payment to such DSH.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1998
Omnibus Mercury Emissions Reduction Act of 1998 - Amends the Clean Air Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate regulations to establish standards for mercury and mercury compound emissions applicable to: (1) electric utility steam generating units; (2) coal- and oil-fired commercial and industrial boiler units that have a maximum design heat input capacity of ten mmBtu (millions of British thermal units) per hour or greater; (3) chlor-alkali plants that use the mercury cell production process; and (4) dust from Portland cement plants. Requires such units and plants to have permits no later than two years after this Act's enactment. Prescribes a minimum required emission reduction, such that a unit or plant reduce annual poundage of mercury emitted below its mercury emission baseline by at least 95 percent. Authorizes emission trading among electric utility or coal- and oil-fired units contained at a single site if the aggregate annual reduction from all units is at least 95 percent. Requires the Administrator to authorize methods of control of mercury emissions. Sets forth permit requirements, including requirements for monitoring and analysis, inspection, entry, compliance certification, and reporting. Establishes specific mercury emission baselines for classes of electric utility and coal- and oil-fired boiler units, including those in operation before January 1, 1995, and those beginning operation after this Act's enactment. Requires the regulations to ensure that mercury that is captured or recovered is disposed of in a manner that ensures that: (1) the mercury hazards are not transferred from one environmental medium to another; and (2) there is no release of mercury into the environment. Directs the Administrator to establish a program of long-term research to develop and disseminate information on methods such as separating, solidifying, recycling, and encapsulating mercury-bearing waste so that the mercury does not volatize, migrate to groundwater or surface water, or contaminate the soil. Requires the Administrator to make emission data for each unit and plant available annually to the public. (Sec. 5) Directs the Administrator to publish a list of mercury-containing items to be separated and removed from the waste steams that feed solid waste incineration units. Requires manufacturers of listed items to label items (or, in the case of button cell batteries, packages) to indicate that a product contains mercury. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations prescribing procedures for monitoring and analysis for mercury emissions from solid waste combustion flue gases and determining compliance with such requirements. Requires solid waste incineration units operating pursuant to permits issued under the Act to submit plans for: (1) separating and removing listed mercury-containing items from waste streams that feed such units; (2) transferring separated waste to a recycling facility or treatment, storage, or disposal facility permitted under Subtitle C of the Solid Waste Disposal Act; (3) monitoring and reporting on plan compliance; and (4) achieving full compliance with the plan within 18 months of plan approval. Directs the Administrator or a State to enforce plans for units without approved plans. Requires permits for solid waste incineration units to specify inspection, entry, monitoring, compliance certification, and reporting requirements. Directs the Administrator to make mercury emission data for each unit available annually to the public. (Sec. 8) Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress on the extent to which the annual poundage of mercury and mercury compound emissions from medical waste incinerators and hazardous waste combustors in the United States has been reduced below specific baselines. (Sec. 10) Directs the Secretary of Defense to report to the Congress on the use of mercury and mercury compounds by the Department of Defense. (Sec. 11) Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress on the sources and extent of mercury emissions in North America. (Sec. 12) Directs the Administrator to establish: (1) a program to characterize and quantify the potential mercury-related health effects on high-risk populations; and (2) a mercury public awareness and prevention program targeted at populations most at risk from exposure to mercury. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Administrator to establish an advisory committee to report on the progress made by the Federal Government, State and local governments, industry, and other regulated entities in complying with the mercury-related amendments made by this Act. Directs the Administrator to submit to the Congress a report that characterizes mercury and mercury-compound sedimentation trends in Lake Champlain, the Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes, the finger lakes region of upstate New York, Tampa Bay, and other water bodies of concern. Requires the Administrator to evaluate: (1) data collected by EPA and each State concerning mercury contamination of fish; and (2) advisories to warn the public about the consumption of mercury-contaminated fish. Directs the Administrator to: (1) implement any changes necessary to improve the quality and ensure consistency from State to State of Federal and State data collection, reporting, characterization of mercury contamination, and thresholds above which advisories will be issued; and (2) make biennial reports available to the public concerning mercury levels in fish and any consumption advisories that have been issued.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1998
Calls upon the Government of Japan to: (1) live up to the standards it has set for open competitive markets; and (2) fully implement the representations that it made to a dispute settlement panel of the World Trade Organization regarding deregulation, transparency, nondiscrimination, open distribution systems, and vigorous enforcement of competition laws with respect to consumer photographic film and paper as well as other sectors, such as autos and auto parts, glass, and telecommunications, that face similar market access barriers there. Urges the President, the United States Trade Representative, and other appropriate officers of the executive branch to exercise fully existing authority to achieve these objectives. Requests the President to report periodically to the Congress on progress in eliminating market restrictions in Japan for consumer photographic film and paper.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1998
Designates May 15, 1998, as National Peace Officers Memorial Day.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1998
Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1984 to provide for the termination of the exception for certain real estate investment trusts from the treatment of stapled entities.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1998
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to grant duty-free treatment, through August 1, 1999, to the personal effects of, and other equipment imported and used by, participants, their families and associated members, and officials involved in the 1999 Women's World Cup.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1998
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 1998 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal minimum wage (currently $5.15 per hour) to: (1) $5.65 an hour during the year 1999; and (2) $6.15 an hour during the year 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1998
Social Security Solvency Act of 1998 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to modify Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) rates applicable to employees, employers, and the self-employed to provide for pay-as-you-go financing for the social security system and continued solvency of the social security trust funds under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA). Prescribes: (1) reduced FICA rates for 2001 through 2029; (2) return to the current rate (6.2 percent, or 12.4 for the self-employed) for 2030 through 2044; and (3) specified higher rates for ensuing decades, culminating with 6.7 percent (13.4 for the self-employed) for 2060 and thereafter. (Sec. 2) Provides for: (1) the reallocation of employment taxes through 2054; and (2) adjustment of such taxes to keep the social security trust funds in actuarial balance. Makes conforming amendments to the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to protect the FICA tax cut. (Sec. 3) Voluntary Investment Contribution Act (VICA) - Amends SSA title II to add a new part B (Voluntary Investment Accounts) (VICA). Establishes in the Treasury the Voluntary Investment Fund, to be managed by the Voluntary Investment Fund Board. Requires electing employees of covered employers to designate a particular VICA to which contributions on their behalf (of up to two percent of wages) are to be deposited and invested in a manner similar to that under the FERS Thrift Savings Plan. Mandates participation by self-employed individuals. Amends IRC to impose on: (1) the income of an electing employee a VICA contribution of one percent of wages; (2) such employee's employer a matching contribution equal to one percent of such employee's wages; and (3) the income of a self-employed individual a VICA contribution of two percent of self-employment income. (Sec. 4) Amends SSA title II to provide for a graduated increase in the social security wage base from $60,600 to $97,500. (Sec. 5) Amends SSA title XI to add a new part D (Cost-of-Living Adjustments) to: (1) provide for a one-percent reduction in cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) under IRC, OASDI, Medicare, Medicaid, and any other Federal program except the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program (SSA title XVI); and (2) establish the Cost-of-Living Board to determine new reduced COLAs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 6) Amends IRC to provide for the inclusion of social security benefits in a taxpayer's gross income. (Sec. 7) Amends SSA title II to: (1) provide for coverage of newly hired State and local employees; (2) increase the length of the computation period from 35 to 38 years; (3) provide for a phased-in increase in the social security retirement age to 70 years of age with respect to an individual who attains early retirement age after December 31, 2065; and (4) provide for elimination of the earnings test for individuals who have attained early retirement age (beginning in 2003). Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to submit to the Congress a detailed study plan for evaluating the effects of increases in the retirement age scheduled under SSA on the day before the enactment of the phased-in increase under this Act. (Sec. 10) Directs the Commissioner to study and report to the Congress on the effect on their incentive to work of taking earnings into account in determining substantial gainful activity of individuals receiving disability insurance benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1998
Designates April 1, 1998, as National Breast Cancer Survivors' Day.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1998
Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to increase maximum limits on guaranteed farm ownership and guaranteed farm operating loans. Provides for inflation indexing.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1998
Medicare Fraud and Overpayment Act of 1998 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, to restructure the formula for payment of drugs and biologicals to involve actual acquisition cost in the computation, while including parenteral nutrients as reimbursable items. (Sec. 2) Amends the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to eliminate the study and report to specified congressional committees on the effect of its amendments on the wholesale price of drugs and biologicals. (Sec. 3) Amends SSA title XVIII with regard to mental health partial hospitalization services. Limits the location where such services can be furnished to places other than a skilled nursing facility or an individual's home or other residential setting. Revises the qualifications for community mental health centers to permit the Secretary of Health and Human Services to specify certain standards in addition to State licensing or certification requirements. (Sec. 4) Requires administrators of group health plans and employers or employee organizations, with respect to Medicare as secondary payer, to provide the Secretary with specified information about individuals, including information about employers and family members with current or former employment status. Sets forth a civil money penalty for noncompliance. (Sec. 5) Reduces Medicare payment for erythropoietin used during FY 1999 under the end stage renal disease program. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to use a competitive process to contract with specific hospitals or other entities (centers of excellence) meeting certain quality standards for furnishing hospital inpatients with services related to surgical procedures, as well as appropriate services unrelated to surgery. Provides for payment on the basis of negotiated all-inclusive rates. Requires the Secretary, by October 1, 1998, to enter into contracts with centers of excellence in geographic regions nationwide for coronary artery by-pass surgery and other heart procedures, knee replacement surgery, and hip replacement surgery, so that at least 20 percent of the projected number of those procedures can be provided under such contracts. (Sec. 7) Amends SSA title XI to eliminate the "knowing" standard with respect to civil monetary penalties for improperly filed claims, including the statutory definition of "should know." Repeals the exceptions to (anti-kickback) prohibitions on illegal remunerations in Federal health care programs for risk-sharing contracts. Eliminates a related report under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. (Sec. 9) Amends SSA title XI, as amended by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, to make automatic stays and discharge in bankruptcy proceedings inapplicable to civil money penalty and other proceedings, including those for collecting overdue payments on scholarships and loans, related to provider liability for health care fraud. (Sec. 10) Amends SSA title XVIII to authorize the imposition of administrative fees on providers that fail to make timely reimbursement for overpayments under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and B (Supplementary Medical Insurance).
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Access to Medicare Benefits for Individuals 62-to- 65 Years of Age Title II: Access to Medicare Benefits for Displaced Workers 55-to-62 Years of Age Title III: COBRA Protection for Early Retirees Subtitle A: Amendments to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 Subtitle B: Amendments to the Public Health Service Act Subtitle C: Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Title IV: Financing Medicare Early Access Act of 1998 - Title I: Access to Medicare Benefits for Individuals 62-to-65 Years of Age - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals Age 62-to-65 Years of Age). Makes eligible to enroll in Medicare during a specified period individuals between the ages of 62 and 65 who: (1) are not eligible for coverage under group health plans or Federal health insurance; but (2) would be Medicare-eligible if age 65. Requires prior notification of each individual seeking to enroll of the deferred monthly premium amount for which the individual will be liable upon attaining age 65. (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to determine rates for: (1) the base monthly premium; (2) the base annual premium for individuals age 62 or older; and (3) the deferred premium for such individuals. Limits the maximum annual premium in a premium area to assure participation in all areas of the country. Directs the Secretary to provide for payment and collection of the base monthly premium. Makes the enrollee liable for the deferred monthly premium payment. Requires collection of both premiums in the same manner as for the payment of monthly premiums under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Creates in the Treasury the Medicare Early Access Trust Fund (Trust Fund) to hold collected premiums as well as the savings from new fraud and abuse initiatives under the Medicare Fraud and Overpayment Act of 1998 which are transferred to it out of the Medicare trust funds. Directs: (1) the Trust Fund's Board of Trustees to report annually to the Congress on the need for adjustments in the new program in order to maintain its financial solvency; and (2) the Comptroller General to report periodically to the Congress on the adequacy of program financing along with appropriate recommendations to accomplish such end. Requires: (1) individuals enrolled under the new part D program to be treated for Medicare purposes as though they were entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled under Medicare part B; and (2) new part D program benefits to be payable under Medicare to such individuals in the same manner as if they were so entitled and enrolled. Provides that the new part D program shall not be treated as Medicare for purposes of the Medicaid program under SSA title XIX, including the provision of Medicare cost-sharing assistance, nor for purposes of COBRA continuation requirements of the Public Health Service Act. Title II: Access to Medicare Benefits for Displaced Workers 55-to-62 Years of Age - Amends SSA title XVIII part D to rename the newly established part D program the Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals Age 55-to-65 Years of Age. Provides for part D coverage for certain displaced workers and spouses between the ages of 55 and 62 under arrangements similar to those in title I. Directs the Secretary to provide for continued enrollment of displaced workers who attain 62 years of age. Title III: COBRA Protection for Early Retirees - Subtitle A: Amendments to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to extend specified group health plan insurance continuation coverage under COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) to qualified retirees and their dependents, in cases of substantial reduction or termination of a retiree group health plan. Sets forth a special rule for certain dependents in case of termination or substantial reduction of retiree health coverage. Permits an increased level of premiums in the case of an individual provided continuation coverage by reason of the qualifying event. Subtitle B: Amendments to the Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend specified group health plan insurance continuation coverage under COBRA to qualified retirees and their dependents, in cases of substantial reduction or termination of a retiree group health plan. Sets forth a special rule for certain dependents in case of termination or substantial reduction of retiree health coverage. Permits an increased level of premiums in the case of an individual provided continuation coverage by reason of the qualifying event. Subtitle C: Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend specified group health plan insurance continuation coverage under COBRA to qualified retirees and their dependents, in cases of substantial reduction or termination of a retiree group health plan. Sets forth a special rule for certain dependents in case of termination or substantial reduction of retiree health coverage. Permits an increased level of premiums in the case of an individual provided continuation coverage by reason of the qualifying event. Title IV: Financing - Requires any increase in payments under the Medicare program that results from the enactment of this Act to be offset by reductions in Medicare payments pursuant to the anti-fraud and -abuse provisions of the Medicare Fraud and Overpayment Act of 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1998
Declares that the Senate: (1) expresses gratitude to, and calls upon all Americans to show their gratitude to, John McCain and the men who were held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam conflict and for the return of Senator McCain to the United States; and (2) will not forget that more than 2,000 members of the armed forces remain unaccounted for from such conflict and will continue to press for the fullest accounting for such members.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1998
Tropical Forest Conservation Act of 1998 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish a Tropical Forest Facility in the Department of the Treasury to provide for the administration of debt reduction in accordance with this Act. Makes eligible for Facility benefits developing countries with tropical forests that: (1) meet certain requirements applicable to Latin American and Caribbean countries for eligibility for Enterprise for the Americas Facility benefits; and (2) have put in place major investment reforms, as evidenced by the conclusion of a bilateral investment treaty with the United States, implementation of an investment sector loan with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank-supported investment reforms, or other appropriate measures. Authorizes the President to: (1) reduce debt owed to the United States (outstanding as of January 1, 1998) by eligible countries as a result of concessional loans made under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or predecessor foreign economic assistance legislation or credits extended under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954; and (2) sell to any eligible purchaser any concessional loans or credits or, on receipt of payment from an eligible purchaser, reduce or cancel such loans or credits (or portion thereof), only for the purpose of facilitating a debt-for-nature swap or debt buyback (by an eligible country of its own qualified debt) to support activities to preserve or restore tropical forests. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of State to enter into a Tropical Forest Agreement with any eligible country concerning the operation and use of the Tropical Forest Fund which any eligible country must establish in order to receive payments of interest on new obligations issued under this Act. Requires the use of Funds to provide grants to preserve, maintain, and restore tropical forests in beneficiary countries. Provides that grants shall be made to: (1) nongovernmental environmental, conservation, and indigenous peoples organizations in beneficiary countries; (2) other appropriate local or regional entities; and (3) governments of such countries, in exceptional circumstances. Makes grants of more than $100,000 subject to veto by the U.S. Government or the government of the beneficiary country. Directs the Enterprise for the Americas Board established under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (in addition to its other required duties) to: (1) advise the Secretary of State on the negotiations of Tropical Forest Agreements; (2) ensure that a suitable administering body is identified for each Fund; and (3) review the programs, operations, and fiscal audits of each administering body. Requires the President to report annually to the Congress on the Facility.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1998
Calls for commemoration of the death of George Washington.